I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.* 



•?3 



| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. % 



THE 

$Mut of tU (Hum; 

OR, 

LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 

WRITTEN FOR THE 

LAMBS OF THE FLOCK. 

BY 

JENNY MARSH PARKER. 

H 




NEW YORE: Jl 
STANFORD & DELISSEE, 50S BROADWAY. 

1858. 



6° D 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by 
D. M. DEWEY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Northern District 
of New York. 



THE 



SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 



CHAPTER L 
BEFORE THE DAWN. 

GREAT many 
| miles from here, 
fin a country you 
have never seen, 
the little Saul 
was born. The name of 
the city was Tarsus; and 
high, rocky mountains were on nearly all 
sides of it, so that you could scarcely 
look up any way, without seeing them, 
with their blue tops lost in the clouds. 




4 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

It is nearly two thousand years ago, 
since Saul was born. That is a very long 
time, you think, and a great many things 
have happened since then ; yet the little 
Saul has not been forgotten, nor the holy 
deeds he did after he had grown to be a 
man, and changed his name to Paul. 

Now that we are talking about him 
when he was a little boy, we will call him 
Saul; for that is the name his Jewish 
father and mother gave him ; and his 
little sister used to call him so — she that 
played with him, or sat with him upon 
their father's knees, and heard the Bible 
stories he could tell. You must remem- 
ber, this was before Christ had preached 
on earth. Jesus was, also, then a child, 
in the care of his mother, Mary, who lived 
in the city of Nazareth, which was a long 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 5 

journey from Tarsus. So, all the Bible 
stories that Saul's father might have told 
him, you can find in the Old Testament ; 
for you know the New Testament was not 
written until after Christ had lived and 
died, and Saul grown to be a man. 

Yes ; and, when Saul was a little boy, in 
the rock-bound city of Tarsus, there were 
a number of youths — James, Peter, and 
others, playing, perhaps, on the shore 
of a lake in Judaea, or going out on the 
water with their fathers, who were fish- 
ermen, and little dreamed that their chil- 
dren would be remembered and loved two 
thousand years from then, and called St. 
Peter, and St. James. But God had his 
loving eyes upon all of those little boys, 
and was training them, without their 



6 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 



knowing it, to do a great work for him, 
when they should be men. 

Saul was early taught to read and 
write; and we are told that he could 
speak both the Hebrew and Greek. He 
talked Greek most of the time, as you do 
English ; but, as he was a Jew, he was, 
also, taught the Hebrew. 

The Jews used to say, " If a man does 
not teach his son a trade, he teaches him 
to steal." That is very true; don't you 
think so ? for, if a boy is brought up, as 
many are now-a-days, with no trade or 
profession by which he may earn his 
bread, does he not become idle, and waste 
his time among bad boys, and then, often, 
he is put in prison for stealing what he 
might have had, if he had worked to pay 
for it. Saul's father knew this ; and, al- 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CKOSS. 7 

though he was well off in the world, like a 
good man, he kept his son from mischief, 
when out of school, by giving him work 
to do. 

Now, Saul's work was like nothing you 
have ever seen ; but, if you should go to 
the country where he lived, you would 
find a great many people doing the same 
thing that he did two thousand years ago. 
He was a tent-maker. Now, you think 
I have told you wrong ; for, you say, you 
have seen a great many tents, and you 
are sure they were not brought from 
across the sea. No ; they were not : you 
are right there. Our tents are of canvas, 
and are made here ; but those that little 
Saul stitched upon were different alto- 
gether. 

In the wild mountains around his home. 



8 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

there were a great many goats that had 
long, shaggy hair; and, from that, the peo- 
ple of the country made a thick, coarse 
cloth, that would not wet through, nor 
tear easily. It was about as good as our 
gutta-percha, or oil-cloth, and was made 
into sailors' coats, into cloth for tents, 
and into sails for vessels. Saul's work 
was to cut out the cloth in the shape 
wanted, and then to sew it together in 
large pieces, which were to be hung over 
poles, and thus form the tent. 

And so Saul passed away his boyhood ; 
and we are told that he sometimes worked 
very late at night; for he was not idle, 
but spent every minute of his time as he 
should, either at his tasks, or work, or in 
a little harmless play; for boys can not 
work without play; and it is not right 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 9 



they should. God was fitting him, every- 
day of his life, for the toil he was to go 
through, in after years, for the sake of 
Christ, the Lord. 

I have told you that his parents were 
Jews, and that he was brought up to be- 
lieve just as they did, and they believed 
that, when the Messiah should come, it 
would be as a great king, that would make 
the Jews the strongest nation of the earth. 
The Bible did not tell them this; but they 
thought so ; and so they would not believe 
that Jesus, our blessed Lord, who was 
born in the village of Bethlehem, was their 
Saviour. Saul was taught to think thus ; 
and he would have been very angry if 
any one had told him he would some day 
preach against the Jews, and love the 
Christ they would not own. But the 



10 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS 

same Father that loves and keeps all 
children, was very near to Saul, and was 
leading him in the right way. 

When he was about eleven or fourteen 
years old, he was sent to Jerusalem to 
school; and that, you know, was the 
holy city of the Jews. There, he had 
one of the most celebrated teachers in 
the land, one that loved his pupil, and 
hoped he would one day become a great 
man among the Jews. Yes; and Saul 
hoped the same thing: they did not know 
what God was going to do. 

After he had studied at Jerusalem sev- 
eral years, it is very probable that he 
went back to Tarsus again ; and, during 
many years after, he read, and did all he 
could to know more. Tarsus was a large 
city, and full of learned men and great 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS, 11 

schools ; and he had every chance to be- 
come wise. Within these years, while he 
was bending over his books, a great event, 
yes, a very great event had taken place in 
the .world. Jesus Christ, our blessed 
Saviour, had lived his holy life, and died 
his bitter death; but the heart of the 
great scholar, Saul, had not once been 
touched by his sufferings. Saul was a 
Jew ; and Jesus was hated by them. 

And the Church, of which Saul was 
yet to be the great apostle, had been 
founded — that is, begun; and, although 
it was then very small, it was slowly 
growing up to be what it is now : for the 
Church that Christ began, when here up- 
on earth, is still growing; and you have 
much cause for thanking God, my dear 
little children, that you are within its fold. 



12 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

May you be kept there, and never, never, 
wander away. 

Yes, the Church was founded; and 
Saul was one of its greatest persecutors. 
Do you know what a persecutor is? Let 
me tell you what Saul did ; and, perhaps, 
you will understand me then. He was a 
Jew, and believed that all of those who 
loved Jesus Christ, and did what he had 
told them to do, and tried to have others 
do the same, should be put to death. He 
was the chief persecutor of St. Stephen. 
Do you remember the sad story of that 
holy man, who was stoned to death by 
the Jews, because he preached what 
Christ had taught him to ? The sixth and 
seventh chapters of the Acts of the Apostles 
will tell you about it ; but here are a few 
verses. 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 13 

" Then they cried out with a loud 
voice, and stopped their ears, and ran up- 
on him with one accord, 

"And cast him out of the city, and 
stoned him : and the witnesses laid down 
their clothes at a young man's feet, whose 
name was Saul. 

" And they stoned Stephen, calling upon 
God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my 
spirit. 

" And he kneeled down and cried with 
a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to 
their charge. And when he had said this, 
he fell asleep. 

" And Saul was consenting unto his 
death." 

Stephen was a holy man, and one that 
loved the Lord; and Saul helped to kill 
him. Would any one have thought then, 



14 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

that that cruel man would soon be preach- 
ing the very gospel Stephen had died for? 
Oh, no ! for Saul's heart grew more bitter 
every day against the Christians ; and, if 
his will had been done instead of God's 
will, they would all have been killed, and 
we had known nothing of the Church we 
love so much. Some of you may wonder 
that God did not leave Saul in his wick- 
edness. Does he leave you and me, when 
we sin against him ? 

Saul stayed in Jerusalem some time 
after the death of Stephen, making the 
Christians to suffer very much. He put 
heavy chains upon them, and threw them 
into dark prisons. He whipped them 
upon their bare backs, till the blood came 
in streams, and threatened to put them all 
to death. Many did give up their faith in 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 15 

Christ. Perhaps, that shocks you very 
much ; but think awhile, my dear child. 
Was it any worse for those poor men 
and women, who were made to suffer 
so, to leave Christ, than it is for you? 
And do you not leave him whenever 
naughty thoughts and angry feelings are 
in your heart? 



CHAPTER II. 
A LIGHT FROM HEAVEN. 

N Damascus, a most 

beautiful city, not 

far from Jerusalem, 

there was a number 

of Christians ; and 

so Saul thought he would 

go there, and put as many in chains 

as he could, and bring them to Jerusalem. 

But, in wickedness, he had done evil to 

the people of the Lord long enough ; and 

it was then God's good time to have 

the victory. 

2 




18 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

I can not tell you about the conversion 
of Saul, (by conversion, is meant a change 
of heart, or becoming a Christian) in 
words more simple than those of the 
Bible. In the ninth chapter of the Acts 
of the Apostles, we are told that, "as he 
journeyed, he came near Damascus: and 
suddenly there shined about him a light 
from heaven : 

"And he fell to the earth, and heard a 
voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why 
perse cutest thou me? # * It is hard for 
thee to kick against the pricks. 

"And he, trembling and astonished, 
said, Lord, what will thou have me to 
do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, 
and go into the city, and it shall be 
told thee what thou must do. 

"And the men that journeyed with him 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 19 

stood speechless, hearing a voice, but 
seeing no man. 

"And Saul arose from the earth; and 
when his eyes were opened, he saw no 
man : but they led him by the hand, and 
brought him into Damascus. 

"And he was three days without sight, 
and neither did eat nor drink." 

Did he enter the great city of Damascus 
as he thought he should ? No ; but, blind 
and helpless, he was led through its 
splendid streets, until brought to the 
house of Judas — not Judas the traitor; 
and there he was, for three days, without 
a friend to cheer him, or a hope that he 
should ever behold the light again. Poor 
Saul ! but the Lord was not forgetting him. 

There was a Christian man living in 
Damascus, by the name of Ananias ; and 



20 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

the Lord came to him in a vision, or 
dream, by night, and told him all about 
Saul, where he was, and that he must go 
and comfort him. Ananias was, at first, 
afraid to do as the Lord told him : for he 
had often heard of Saul, and knew how 
cruel he was to the Christians; and it 
was hard for him to believe that he had 
been converted. But he did as the Lord 
told him, and went where Saul was, 
and laid his hands upon his head, and 
called him his brother, and told him of 
the heavenly vision he had. Then Saul's 
eyes were opened, and he saw around 
him. The blindness of his heart was 
gone ; and he had sweet hope and faith in 
Jesus Christ. 

And, now, Saul was a Christian, and not 
afraid to preach what he knew to be true. 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 21 



It was rather hard for the Jews to believe 
that Saul, instead of putting the Chris- 
tians to death, was calling them, in sincere 
love, his brethren. They laid cruel plots 
to put him in chains, and watched the 
gates of the city, lest he should escape. 
Cities were then built with a high, thick 
wall around them, and a large gate on 
each side. One of the brethren, whose 
house formed a part of the wall, and had 
a window on the outside, let him down in 
a basket one night, and so he made his 
escape. 

He went to Arabia, where he lived 
alone for some time; as the Arabs were 
too rude and wild to be his associates. 
He spent his time in prayer, and in read- 
ing the Holy Bible ; for he knew that the 



22 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS 

Lord had sent him to that lonely spot, to 
get ready for the work he was to do. 

It was then three years from the time 
he left Jerusalem, to go to Damascus, to 
put the Christians in chains. You know 
how God changed his heart. He now left 
Arabia, and went back to Jerusalem. He 
thought all the Christians would be glad 
to see him, and do what they could to 
make him happy among them. But, 
when they heard that he was in the city, 
and wanted to meet with them, they 
were afraid; for they remembered how 
cruel he had been — how he had killed 
the holy Stephen, and had gone to Da- 
mascus, to put their brethren in chains. 
They could not believe that so wicked a 
man as Saul, of Tarsus, had become a 
Christian. How very bad Saul must 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 23 



have felt about this ; and how lonely he 
must have been, with no one to welcome 
him to a happy home, after his long 
journey from Arabia? But God does all 
things right; and he did this for Saul's 
good; and Saul bore it as a Christian 
should, without thinking that his Lord 
was doing wrong to him. 

But, after a while, Peter and James, 
two of the disciples, found him, and 
believed him to be a Christian, and 
opened to him their hearts and homes. 
Soon, all the disciples knew and loved 
Saul; and there was none among them 
that preached the gospel so boldly as he. 

The Jews hated him, and laid plots to 
kill him ; but Saul, trusting in the Lord, 
was not afraid of those wicked men. 
His brethren tried to have him leave the 



24 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

city ; but he would not : for it was there 
St. Stephen had been put to death ; and 
there he wanted to redeem the evil he 
had done, by doing good. But the Lord 
came to him in a vision, and told him to 
leave Jerusalem, and Saul did as he was 
bade. 

And then he went back to Tarsus, the 
beautiful city where he was born, and 
where he had spent most of his life. The 
Bible does not tell us how he was met by 
his Jewish parents and his sister, or how 
they felt because he was a Christian. 
Perhaps, they were dead; but, if they 
were not, we know Saul talked to th^im 
about the Christ he loved, and tried to 
have them believe as he did. 



CHAPTER III. 
OUT IN THE WORLD. 





BJK AUL did not stay 
at Tarsus long, but 
went out into the 
world, to preach 



the gospel of* Christ. It 
was by no means safe for 
him to do it ; and, if he had not loved and 
trusted in God, he never would have done 
so; for, wherever he went, there were 
wicked men, that would kill him if they 
could, for preaching what he did. But 
Saul knew that the Lord would take care 



26 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

of him, and so he dared to preach before 
the kings and great men ; and, as he had 
read many books, and was very wise, he 
could do a great deal of good. 

Do you know what it is to work a mira- 
cle? Christ and his apostles, of whom 
Saul was one, used to work miracles. It 
is to do some strange or wonderful thing 
by the help of God — something which no 
one could do without that help, so as to 
lead people to believe in the Lord. 

Saul's first miracle was at the city of 
Paphos, on the island of Cyprus. The 
governor of the city, whose name was 
Sergius Paulus, sent for Saul to come to 
the large hall of his house, and preach the 
word of God. Saul went, and was doing 
good, w T hen a person by the name of 
Elymas, who was afraid that the governor 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 27 

would become a Christian, began talking 
very wickedly against all Saul had said. 
Saul looked fearlessly at him, and spake 
these words : 

" <0 full of all subtilty, and all mischief, 
thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all 
righteousness, wilt thou not cease to per- 
vert the right ways of the Lord? 

" And now, behold, the hand of the 
Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be 
blind, not seeing the sun for a season. 
And immediately there fell on him a mist 
and a darkness ; and he went out seeking 
some one to lead him by the hand." 

Then Sergius Paulus knew that Saul 
was a man sent by God, and he believed 
in Christ. 

It was at this time that Saul took the 
name of Paul — the name by which he 



28 THE SOLDIEE OF THE CROSS. 

was ever after called, and is now known 
through the wide world. It is thought 
that he named himself Paul after Sergius 
Paulus, of whom I have just told you, 
and before whom he worked his first 
miracle. 

Paul's courage increased every day, 
no matter what happened to him. Boldly 
he preached the Christian faith ; and the 
Lord blessed his labors, by adding many 
to the Church. 

All that this good apostle did in his 
long journeys by sea and land, as he 
preached the gospel to many nations, can 
not be told in this little book; but it 
shall relate to you some of the most im- 
portant things he did. 

At Lystra, he saw a poor man that had 
been lame ever since his birth. He looked 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 29 



at Paul — only looked at him, without 
speaking a word — but Paul saw faith in 
his eyes, and said to him, in a loud voice, 
"Kise, and stand on thy feet;" and the 
lame man sprang up, and walked. 

And it was in this same city of Lystra, 
where Paul came very near to death. 
The people were angry with him for 
preaching as he did, and pelted him with 
stones, just as Stephen was. Then they 
dragged him out of the city, and left him 
alone. They thought he was dead; but 
he was not : God willed for him to live 
longer. So, when his brethren came 
where he was, never hoping to find him 
alive, he surprised them by rising up, and 
walking back to the city with them. 

At Philippi, where Silas and he had 
been sent by the voice of the Lord, they 



30 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

were seized, in the street, by an angry 
mob, who tore their clothes from their 
backs, and then whipped them with 
bundles of rough rods. Then they were 
thrown into prison — hungry, faint, and 
bleeding. The jailor was commanded to 
keep them safe. 

What do you think Paul and Silas did 
in that cold, dark prison? Did they keep 
thinking that God had done an unkind 
and unjust thing to them, in letting 
wicked men beat them so, and shut them 
up in such a place ? Did they say to each 
other that God did not care for them, and, 
if they were ever out again, they would not 
trouble themselves to preach, but would 
do something to give them comfort in this 
life? Think you they talked like that? 
Ah, no ! the Bible tells us that, " Paul and 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 31 

Silas prayed, and sang praises to Grod." 
And the Lord heard their prayers. 
At midnight, an earthquake shook down 
the prison, and the doors of the cells flew 
open. But Paul gnd Silas did not run 
away, as thieves would have done. So, 
when the jailor came to their cells, in a 
terrible fright lest they should be gone, 
(and he would have killed himself if they 
had been,) Paul calmly cried out to him, 
"Do thyself no harm; for we are all 
here." Then the jailor called for a light, 
and fell down before Paul and Silas, say- 
ing, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 5 ' 
They answered, "Believe in the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, 
with all thy house." Then the jailor 
took them out of their cells, and washed 



32 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

their sores, and gave them food ; and then 
they baptized him and all his family. 

At Thessalonica, when he was not 
preaching, he worked at his old trade of 
tent-making, thus earning a little money 
with which he could buy his bread, so 
that he should not have to live upon his 
poor brethren, who were always willing to 
do what they could for him. Paul was a 
noble man, and, therefore, not ashamed 
to work, even at the humble trade of 
tent-making. But he had to flee from 
this place ; as the Jews became so angry 
toward him., they would have taken his 
life, if they could. 

At Corinth, one of the most beautiful 
cities of old Greece, Paul stopped for 
some time, and preached of Christ, without 
fear. You have heard of the letters he 



THE SOLDIER 'OF THE CROSS. 33 



used to write to the little churches that 
were then springing up in the world. He 
had founded many of them, and they had 
been made strong by his preaching; 
and, when he was far away, he would 
write them letters, telling how to do 
good and keep on serving the Lord. 
We have these letters in the New Testa- 
ment, and we should read them often, and 
thank God for them. The first of these 
letters was written, at Corinth, to his dear 
brethren in Thessalonica, the place where 
he had worked at his old trade of tent- 
making, and is called, "The first Epistle 
of Paul, the Apostle, to the Thessalonians." 

Paul never said he was tired of working 
so hard for God, nor did he ask to rest 

awhile, but every day and every hour he 
3 



34 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

gave to the Lord ; and, for that reason, he 
was so much in danger of losing his life, 
that he wrote, in one of his letters, these 
words, " I die daily." 

Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem again ; 
and, when he told his brethren he 
thought of doing, so, they were grieved, 
and tried to make him stay with them ; 
for they loved him dearly, and feared the 
hatred of the Jews, if he should fall into 
their power. But Paul felt it was his 
duty to go ; and he was too firm, in what 
he knew to be right, to give up to the 
fears of others, and too bold to be afraid ; 
so, he bade them good-by, and, asking 
God to bless them, started for Jerusalem. 

It was in the month of May that he got 
to the city. Several of the apostles came 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 35 

out to meet him, and to tell him how glad 
they were he had come to them again. 

Now, at that very time, there was a great 
feast in the city, called the feast of Pente- 
cost. It took place every year ; and the 
Jews, from all parts of the world, came to 
it, so that the city was more than full. 
And, in that great crowd of people, there 
were many that knew the face of Paul ; and 
their hearts were so full of hate toward 
him they would do most any thing to put 
him to death. So, one day, when Paul 
went into the temple, to worship, some 
of these wicked men spread a false story 
about him, and the crowd came rushing 
upon him, beating him, and crying out 
loudly against him. They would have 
killed him ; but some of the chief officers 
heard the great noise, and went to the 



36 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

spot as quickly as they could, and took 
Paul away from the mob. They unjustly 
bound his wrists with chains, and then 
carried him off to prison ; and many thou- 
sands of Jews ran after him, crying, 
" Away with him ! " 

When Paul was rescued, so that the 
mob could not tear him in pieces, the chief 
captain, who was called Lysias, talked 
to him, and found out he was not so bad 
a man as he had thought he was. Then 
Paul stood up on a high rock, far above 
the heads of the crowd, and spake to 
them in Hebrew — the language they 
loved. They were very still at first, and 
listened, as he told them how he had been 
born a Jew, and brought up in their 
schools, and how he had persecuted the 
Christians, until God changed his heart. 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 37 

But suddenly they cried out again, 
" Away with him ; he is not fit to live ! " 
But they could not touch him; for he 
was in the hands of the soldiers. 

And then Paul, with heavy chains upon 
him, was cast into prison ; but his sleep, 
that night, was the sweet sleep of a Chris- 
tian, who fears not what men may do un- 
to him, as long as the Lord is on his side. 

The next day was that of Paul's trial. 
He was brought before seventy men, 
who were to hear why he was put in 
prison, and to say whether he should be 
let out or not. This trial was a very un- 
fair one ; and, in it, Paul was treated 
badly. That night, he was taken back to 
his cell again. 

At midnight, the Lord came to Paul in 
a dream, and told him to be of good 



38 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

cheer, for he should live to preach of him 
in Rome, as he had in Jerusalem. This 
made Paul very happy ; for he was will- 
ing to live longer, and work and suffer 
more, if it was the will of G-od. 

That same night, forty Jews made a 
vow together, that they would neither eat 
nor drink, until they had killed Paul. 
Their plan was, to have him brought out 
for another trial, and then seize and mur- 
der him, as he passed from the prison to 
the great hall. But a nephew of Paul's — 
a son of the sister I have told you about — 
heard of the wicked thing that the forty 
Jews were planning to do, and went to 
Paul with it. Paul sent him quickly to 
the captain, with his news, who, as soon 
as he heard it, called some of his offi- 
cers, and told them to be ready, by nine 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 39 



that evening, with two hundred soldiers 
on foot, seventy on horseback, and two 
hundred spearmen, all of whom were to 
go, with Paul, to a town near by, where 
he was to be put in charge of the governor. 

Thus, Paul was taken away from the 
forty Jews, who had made a vow that 
they would not eat or drink, till they had 
killed him. But God did not allow them 
to carry out their wicked vow. 

Paul was now at a place called Caesa- 
rea ; and there he was a prisoner for two 
long years. He had a great deal of trou- 
ble, and much to make him sad ; but he 
bore it all like a Christian. He preached 
when he could ; and, once, when he was 
brought before the governor, Felix, he 
preached Christ so boldly that the great 
ruler trembled; for he knew that Paul 



40 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

spoke the truth. But, alas! he gave it 
but a moment's thought, and then went 
on in sin, as before. 

While Paul was in prison so long, he 
did not once doubt the promise of the 
Lord, that he should preach the gospel in 
Borne; therefore, he was not surprised 
when told he was to be sent to Eome, to be 
judged by Caesar, the emperor of the world. 

A body of soldiers were to go with 
him : for he was a prisoner ; and Felix 
did not know but he would run away, if 
he could ; but we are very sure he would 
not have done so. 

They were to go by sea; and it was 
upon this journey the shipwreck, of which 
you may have heard, took place. They 
had been out on the water several days, 
when a dreadful storm arose, tearing their 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 



41 



sails in pieces, and breaking their masts 
in splinters. Think of them, out on that 
wide sea, that was foaming and dashing 
around them, and leaping up in big waves 
that seemed to touch the sky, in a ship 
that seemed ready, every moment, to 
break to pieces. 

All but Paul were frightened, and 
thought they should never see the land, 
and their dear friends again. Some were 
fathers, and had left little ones like you at 
home; and they felt very bad to think 
they might never see them again. But 
Paul still trusted in the Lord, knowing 
he would keep his word, and, no matter 
how wild the storm was, he should get to 
Rome. 

Oh, that was a dreadful time ! they did 
not see the sun nor the stars for several 



4*2 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

days ; and that was all they used to have to 
guide their ships by. They had no bread, 
and were very faint with hunger. They 
had thrown nearly every thing overboard, 
to keep the ship from sinking. But 
Paul kept praying ; and God heard him, 
and came to him, as he had before, in a 
vision, and spake comforting words to 
him, telling him to "fear not." So Paul 
spake aloud to all on the ship, and said. 
"Now I tell you to be of good cheer; for 
there shall be no loss of any man's life 
among you, but of the ship. For there 
stood by me, this night, the angel of God, 
whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, 
Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought be- 
fore Caesar : and, lo ! God hath given thee 
all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 43 

sirs, be of good cheer : for I believe God, 
that it shall be even as it was told me. 
Howbeit, we must be cast upon a certain 
island." 

These words gave comfort to all in the 
ship; and, sure enough, one night, they 
heard the sound of waves dashing against 
a beach, which told them they were near 
land. Oh, how happy they all were, and 
how Paul thanked the Lord for his 
mercy ! 

They could not go to the shore in 
the ship, as it was not safe for them to 
do so ; but most of them jumped into the 
wild waves, and swam to land — and not 
one of them was drowned. 

It was the famous island of Malta ; and 
Paul, with the rest of the crew, went 



44 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

quickly to work, and picked up sticks, 
with which to make a fire, so that they 
might dry and warm themselves. When 
he was throwing the wood upon the 
blaze, a large serpent crawled out of the 
fire, and wound itself around his hand. 
All were very much frightened but Paul, 
who shook off the reptile into the flames. 
As the snake had not bitten him, nor poi- 
soned him in the least, those ignorant 
people thought that he was a god, and 
looked upon him with great awe and 
wonder. But, to Paul, it was a fresh 
promise from God that he would pro- 
tect him. 

The people of the island gave them 
something to eat, and did what they 
could to help them. Three months they 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 45 

staid at Malta ; and, in that time, the 
Apostle did much good. We never hear 
of his having been idle, or resting from 
his labors, whether he was in prison, or 
upon a bed of sickness. His whole life 
was given to the Lord. 



CHAPTER IV. 
OUT OF PRISON 

■^pfRULY, as God 
had promised, St. 
Paul did see Rome ; 
and, before he 
reached the gates of the city, 

he met bands of his brethren, who had 
heard he was coming, and, full of joy, 
went forth to meet him. When Paul 
saw them, "he thanked God, and took 
courage." 

He was treated much better, in Rome, 
than he had feared he would be. He was 




4S THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

not put in prison, to wait for his trial ; 
but he hired a house, and lived in it. Yet 
he had to be chained by his wrist to a sol- 
dier. That was not very pleasant, to be 
sure ; but it was much better than living 
in a cold, damp cell; for now he could 
visit with his brethren, and preach the 
gospel. His house was a little church; 
and there he waited for his trial before 
Nero, the great emperor. 

Nero was then twenty-four years old; 
but a more wicked man never lived. He 
was very handsome; but bad men often 
are, you know. There is hardly a wicked 
thing that he did not do. He killed a 
great many of his friends — yes, and his 
own wife and mother. No one could take 
him up and hang him for it : for he was 
emperor of the whole world, and had 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 49 

the power to kill whom he pleased. It was 
in the hands of this sinful man the holy 
Paul had fallen. Can you think of any 
two men so little alike as St. Paul and 
Nero must have been ? 

The time for the trial came ; and Paul 

was called before Nero. God governed 
the heart of the wicked man ; and Paul 

was not put to death, but made free, and 

could preach wherever he wanted to. 

Then he took long journeys, preaching 

of Christ wherever he went ; and the 

Church grew strong every day. In the 

time of this good apostle, it was not so 

easy for a man to say he was a Christian 

as it is now ; for then they would often 

kill those that were, or take away 

all they had in the world. And there 

were little children, like you, whose pa- 
4 



60 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

rents loved Jesus Christ, and so they were 
put in prison with them, and sometimes 
killed. 

Should you not thank God that you 
live in a better time, when you can go to 
church, and sing his praise, and pray to 
him, without fear of being put to death! 
When you hear the name of St. Paul, you 
should remember these things, and all 
that good man did and suffered. 

One night, a great fire broke out in the 
large circus of Rome ; and, for a week, it 
was burning as fast as it could ; so, you 
may know something of what a fire it 
was. The beautiful homes of the rich, 
the huts of the poor, and splendid public 
buildings that cost a great deal of money, 
were all burned up ; and many people had 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 51 

to go to the tombs of the dead to find a 
shelter. 

What do you think that Nero did, while 
the city was burning, and the people cry- 
ing around him? He played some merry 
music, and laughed. Only think what a 
cruel man he was ! 

Every one thought, and almost knew, 
that Nero set fire to the city, just from 
wickedness. He heard that they laid it to 
him, and was so afraid they would mur- 
der him, he charged the Christians with 
the crime, and said they must be punished 
for it. His lie was believed ; and, then, 
alas ! for those that loved our Jesus. 

I can not begin to tell you all they 
suffered. He covered a great many of 
them with pitch, and set them on fire at 
night, to light the streets of the city. 



52 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

Others he sewed up in the skins of wild 
beasts, and let the dogs hunt, and tear 
them in pieces. Others he put into bags 
of live snakes. He did all he could to 
make them suffer long, before they died. 

Paul was cast into a dark cell, where 
not one sunbeam could peep in; and 
there he was shut up for some time. He 
knew he should be put to death ; but he 
was not troubled or afraid, but had sweet 
peace in the Lord, "I have fought a 
good fight," he said. "I have finished my 
course. I have kept the faith : henceforth, 
there is laid up for me a crown of right- 
eousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
judge, shall give me at that day, and not 
to me only, but to all those that love his 
appearing." 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 53 

Happy Paul ! blest with a peace you 
may have, if you trust in the good Lord. 

We are not sure of the manner in 
which Paul's life was taken, as we have 
no account of the matter that can firmly 
be relied upon ; but it is said, that he was 
tied to a stake, and beheaded — that is, 
his head was cut off. 

Thus lived and died Saul, of Tarsus, 
who is now known, through the wide 
world, by the beloved name of St. Paul. 
He did very much for the Church we 
love; and, if we strive, by prayer, to 
make our lives as useful as his, to trust in 
the Lord as he did, and make Christians 
of wicked men, we may hope for a 
crown in heaven, like his. 

Paul died, a Christian. Let me tell 
you how Nero died. 



54 THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 

He kept thinking of his many wicked 
deeds, and became so very unhappy he 
could not rest day nor night. Instead of 
going to God, and being sorry for what he 
had done, and trying to do better, he 
went on worse and worse. At last, the 
people of Eome rose up in anger at him, 
and said they would kill him. He had 
heard of it; and, one midnight, bare- 
footed, and but partly dressed, he sprang 
to the back of his horse, covered up his 
face with a napkin, and rode away from 
the city as fast as he could. The people 
ran after, cursing him. He hid himself 
in a cave, underground ; and there he cut 
his throat with his dagger. 

My dear child, which are you the most 
like, St. Paul or Nero? Nero never 
prayed to God; do you? Nero got 



THE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. 55 

angry at little things, and would fly in a 
passion, when any thing did not please 
him ; do you ? Nero cared only for the 
things of this life, without a hope or 
thought for heaven; do you? Nero died 
in his sins ; will you ? 

Paul loved the Lord ; do you? He prayed 
to him very often, and believed that he 
would take care of him; do you? He 
had a great many things to make him 
cross and ugly ; but he was never so, after 
he put on Christ; are you? Paul died, 
a Christian ; and there is a crown laid up 
for him in heaven ; how will it be with 
you? 

"The Lord bless you and keep you." 



CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 



holy and most important facts in her his- 
tory. By looking at your Prayer-books, 
you will find a Table of Feasts, in which 
is "The Conversion of St. Paul." You 
have read of his journey to Damascus, and 
the great light that burst upon him ; and 
so have learned how God converted one 




jOU know, my 
b-L^^dl dear children, that 
^^^H ur church aims, 
^i~8 by her order and 



observance, to have us keep 
in active remembrance the 



58 CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 

of the most bold and holy champions 
Christ and his Church ever had, and why 
the feast called the Conversion of St. Paul 
is commemorated. The twenty-fifth day 
of January is the day observed. I am 
going to give the collect, the epistle, and 
the gospel, for that day; and, by reading 
them through carefully, you will not only 
have the Bible account of that most won- 
derful event, but, I trust, will appreciate 
the order in which the Prayer-book pre- 
sents it to you. 

THE COLLECT. 

OGOD, who, through the preaching of the blessed 
apostle Saint Paul, hast caused the light of the 
gospel to shine throughout the world ; grant, we beseech 
thee, that we, having his wonderful conversion in re- 
membrance, may show forth our thankfulness unto thee 
for the same, by following the holy doctrine which he 
taught ; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 



CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 



59 



FOR THE EPISTLE. 



ND Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaugh- 



JUL ter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the 
High Priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to 
the synagogues, that, if he found any of this way, whether 
they were men or women, he might bring them bound 
unto Jerusalem. And, as he journeyed, he came near 
Damascus : and suddenly there shined round about him 
a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and heard 
a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou 
me ? And he said, Who art thou, Lord ? And the Lord 
said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest : it is hard for 
thee to kick against the pricks. And he, trembling and 
astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? 
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, 
and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the 
men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a 
voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the 
earth ; and, when his eyes were opened, he saw no man : 
but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Da- 
mascus. And he was three days without sight, and 
neither did eat nor drink. And there was a certain disci- 
ple at DamascuSj named Ananias ; and to him said the 
Lord, in a vision, Ananias : And he said, Behold, I am 
here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go 




60 CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 



into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the 
house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus : for, be- 
hold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named 
Ananias, coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he 
might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, 
I have heard, by many, of this man, how much evil he 
hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: and here he 
hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call 
on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way : 
for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name be- 
fore the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel : 
For I will show him how great things he must suffer for 
my name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and en- 
tered into the house, and, putting his hands on him, said, 
Brother Saul, the Lord, (even Jesus, that appeared unto 
thee in the way as thou earnest,) hath sent me, that thou 
mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy 
Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it 
had been scales ; and he received sight, forthwith, and 
arose, and was baptized. And when he had received 
meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days 
with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straight- 
way he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the 
Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and 
said, Is not this he that destroyed them which called on 
this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, 
that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 



CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 61 



But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded 
the Jews, which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is 
very Christ. 



THE GOSPEL. 

PETER answered, and said unto Jesus, Behold, we 
have forsaken all, and followed thee, what shall we 
have therefore ? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say 
unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regen- 
eration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his 
glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsak- 
en houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, 
or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall 
receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting 
life. But many that are first shall be last, and the last 
shall be first. 



PRATER. 



TESUS, hear a little child, 

That is praying now to thee ; 
Make me truthful, kind, and mild 

Like the good St. Paul I 'd be. 

1 would love thee as he loved; 

I would serve thee all my days ; 
I would bear thy holy Cross ; 
Love to pray, and sing thy praise. 

Let me not forget, dear Lord, 
All Paul suffered here below — 

How he labored for thy 6ake, 
And the Church we cherish bo ; 



PRAYER. 



How he lay, in prisons cold, 
Many a long and dreary day ; 

How he trusted in thy word, 
And did never cease to pray. 

Let me not forget the crown 
That, in heaven, he will wear, 

As a glory round his head, 

And our God will place it there ;< 

Let me not forget, but try 

A bright crown, like his, to win. 
Keep, oh ! keep me in thy arms ; 

Shield my heart from every sin. 

Jesus, hear a little child, 
That is praying now to thee ; 

Make me truthful, kind, and mild ; 
Like the good St. Paul I 'd be. 



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